13 dead in Lahore suicide blasts (Third Lead)

ISLAMABAD - Three back-to-back blasts in a largely attended Shia religious congregation rocked Pakistan’s Lahore city Wednesday, killing at least 13 people and injuring more than 100, police and eyewitnesses said.

Lahore Commissioner Khusro Pervez feared that the number of dead and injured could rise.

Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Aslam Tareen said that the first blast occurred when a suicide bomber blew himself up on being intercepted by a security official.

The first blast occurred near Karbala Gamay Shah in the Lower Mall area while the second and third blasts were near Bhatti Chowk, just a few paces away. SP City Faisal Gulzar said that the first two blasts were suicide attacks and the nature of third blast was being verified.

The bodies of the dead, as also the injured, were shifted to Mayo Hospital and Ganga Ram Hospital. Angry mobs pelted stones at the security officials and media crews. They torched the building of the Lower Mall police station and also set two vehicles on fire.

The law and order situation worsened after the incident. Police had to resort to aerial firing and teargas shelling to disperse the mob.

Firing on a similar congregation in Karachi had left four people injured, while several others received minor injuries in the stampede that followed.